Always a good spot for teas or drinks in general. The charcoal lemonade is my favorite gotta try if u haven't yet.

I'm going to go ahead and take off one star from my previous review because of an experience that happened on Sunday, December 23, 2018. Two days before Christmas can you believe that? It was a simple enough misunderstanding. Perhaps the cashier did not hear that my boyfriend ordered the milk tea smoothie instead of just the milk tea. Don't get me wrong. The cashier was nice. It was the homegirl in the warriors sweater who gave extreme attitude to us. We get it. You're stressed. But that did not warrant you to give us attitude. She made the cashier charge us the difference for the drinks, instead of simply just keeping a simple mistake simple. She was rude, unprofessional, and straight up a bully. This is how you treat loyal customers who come to your store after working a full shift? You should be fired. read more

Super cute shop and fast! Drinks are great and staff is kind. Try them out if you have a chance!

Drinks are so good with lots of variety. The staff is friendly and they give out samples for you to try their new flavors. If you don't feel like waiting, order a head of time. read more

Love coming here, good Boba. Enjoy the look of the place and how safe they are being, my husband loves coming here as well

This place will definitely keep your eyes busy the moment you enter the door. These were the things I've noticed. 1. Large sumo wrestler posters on the left 2. Numerous of empty instant noodle bags by the window 3. Countless posters drew by customers by the wall 4. Loud Korean music playing (Awesome) 5. Half naked sumo man giving sexy car wash in the most sensual & disgusting manner playing on their flat screen. Like rubbing soap all over their body. It was like an ad for some cars. I've been here several times and they play the same thing. My personal favorite at this place is the strawberry & mango smoothie with organic boba balls. The juice has the perfect amount of sweetness and tartness. So delightful when you're thirsty! If you're a sweet baba ball fan like me then make sure you order "organic boba balls" Not only they're sweet, but also softer and more chewy. On some days they will have their potato chips on a stick for a dollar special. I've tried it once and it was alright, it's only a dollar so can't complain too much. I believe they give you 3-4 different powder options to choose from. They do not have stamp or scan cards but they do have an ipad at the cash register where you enter your info and they will text you your points. If you decide to use CC, you also sign on the ipad, kinda neat. ~This place is right across from Sea Empress Seafood. After dim sum, you know where to "walk" to for some boba drinks! lol read more

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More like 3.75 - 4stars I first learned about this cool tea spot in the South Bay hood through a Yelp friends 'Check-In'. I was like dang! Sumo size tea cups? Bookmark! Gotta check this out...So special props to my fly girl Angela A. for her local tea hookup...Holllaaa! When I first walked into this joint I must have been in between music tracks as a sudden loud burst of Usher's jam, Love In This Club (Pt.II), started bumpin'. Following hesitation, instead of walking, I instantly began to strut towards the cashier like a pimp thats about to mack all over this baby. Lol! :p [Usher] (See Tip below for enhancement) "Now baby girl there ain't nothing more than I can say You know by now I want it more than anything If I walk away and just let you leave You'll be stuck in my head like a melody..." Hahaha! With the exception of yelling across your order, I like the vibe and decor of this shop because I believe environment does play a big role in your tea tasting enjoyment. Boba or ahhhemmm...what others may call, Bubble Tea, is not only a drink or a snack, its suppose to be something fun for all. I think this joint succeeded in providing an artistic atmosphere that captures all. Especially teeny boppers who love music alike and for those who have hearing aids it is to their advantage. :-p As you STRUT into the shop, you will see some cool life size, face in a hole, sumo stand-in props. There seems to be an inexcusable wait time for your tea, but for you FOBs, go take a few pics while you wait. Also checkout the cool ramen wrapper collection prop near the entrance while you sip on your refreshing beverage. Its like a little museum. As for the boba part, Oko Cafe has your basic plethora of fruity and milk tea delights that will quench your thirst. I have visited twice, and with the exception of its sumo size cups, there doesn't seem to be a special beverage they are known for, but I can attest that they use quality ingredients to uncover its sensational flavors. Better yet, there are levels of sweetness you can customize at your call. All and all its a good stop when I visit the homies in the 310! In addition to its non-volume controlled sound system, the other downside of course, is the price. It's nice as a treat, but I couldn't afford a boba tea lifestyle every day. So just be prepared to fork over $4-5 dollars for a sumo size cup. Ambiance: Museum like-feel /Eye busy wall mementos, EXTREMELY LOUD, teeny bop hangout. Customer Service: Friendly, Sluggish wait times for those who are in hurry; you gotzta chill y'all. :p Parking: Abundance of parking as its in a decent size shopping center with Marukai Market and other small businesses. Tip: To enhance this review, click on URL to mimic tea shop ambiance and experience: HOLLLAAA! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQMrusT0tRM read more

Oko Cafe - Lychee Black Tea w- Lychee Jelly and Aloe - Cafes Near Me - Gardena, California

After our impromptu Ramen Iroha UYE (see review below), we all decided that we needed some dessert. We originally were going to go to Tea Station but upon arriving, the group I was with noticed this place next door and being true Yelpers in exploratory mode, we decided we would give this place a try. Fortunately, it was somewhat empty when we entered which would make one think that we would be able to order and get our drinks in a flash but for some reason, that wasn't the case. There were 6 of us and after we all placed our orders it took over 40 minutes for them to serve us our drinks. It seemed that everytime someone new came in, they were given priority over us simply because we were as "large" order and so they wanted to get the individuals their orders as fast as they could. Well this didn't sit well with most of the us in the group but we had a great time chatting while waiting. We finally got our drinks and I have to say I really enjoyed my smoothie shake. I ordered the Macha flavor with honey boba. I also requested that they only add 50% sugar which is the option they give you and I think is a great idea given the obesity epidemic in America. Even at 50%, the drink was sweet enough for me. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/gkLvdG4CGZol4L0ZZAOapw?selected=7bLgNk6oiFZNL2THkBgg-g#S-4DRmaU32o04-hXMP7fPg I also had a chance to sample the Sesame smoothie with Okinawan Black Boba since there was a mixup in the delivery of the order and I thought it was mine when it belonged to someone else in our party. We did have to reorder another one to replace this which took a while to get also. By this time, the place started to fill up which just compounded the wait time. They apparently serve instant ramen here and they have a deal where if you could eat 4 ramen packages, you don't have to pay anything for it. They had a video of someone attemtping this feat on the monitor on the counter and it didn't look pretty albeit, was entertaining. I thought it was a novel idea as they had a sort of "hall of fame" made of postings on the wall portraying the names of all the brave folks who had attempted and succeeded in this special and the time it took to complete the challenge. They also offered a huge variety of instant ramen from which to choose http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/gkLvdG4CGZol4L0ZZAOapw?selected=7bLgNk6oiFZNL2THkBgg-g#7bLgNk6oiFZNL2THkBgg-g Two of us had also ordered their specialty moffle which is a mochi waffle with furukake (dried fish shavings) on top. It is supposed to be served with our drink by putting it on the straw but we never got it. I had to go back twice to ask about it and after we had finished our drinks, it was finally ready for us to retrieve http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/gkLvdG4CGZol4L0ZZAOapw?selected=7bLgNk6oiFZNL2THkBgg-g#gmcI1G92HPD_8B5IH0xtqQ After a while, the place was packed with people and given the loud music, I can see why a lot of people would come here to enjoy their boba drinks because it was a rocking place. The drinks themselves were pretty reasonably priced for what you get and they even offer a mega or "sumo"-sized boba drink size. However, I wouldn't advise anyone to order this to help protect our healthcare system but then again, I digress. I had to ding them a star for the wait and service but if you want a good boba drink or even to have some fun eating some ramen, this is the place for you. Just be prepared to wait a while to get your order especially if the place is crowded. read more

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- Locale Destination - It's on W Redondo Beach Blvd and La Salle Ave in Gardena. It's in the big shopping center, where "Marukai" and "Phoenix" are located. It's right next to "Ten Ren" (tea place) - on left side of "Marukai". Ambiance: Lots of grills for their offerings like "takoyaki" and "taiyaki". Very casual and I don't know what the papers on the wall mean. It's kinda messy but some sort of fun decor?? I don't know. Plenty of inside and outside seating. Open late. Service: Very quick. Parking: Plenty Menu: Mmmm... I don't think it's run by Japanese, though all the stuff are very Japanese. I could be wrong - I don't know. They have a big menu - takoyaki, okonomiyaki, "shaka shaka" (you put French fries in the paper bag with seasonings and shake it by yourself to season it. I saw it long time ago at a fast food burger joint in Japan. "Shaka shaka" means the sound of "shaking" - I know it's weird, but Japanese has words on sounds (like "booon!" in English), black bun burger (which sounds interesting), tea, slushy etc. Food menu won't be served at late night (safe to say after 9pm or so - they don't serve food all day long). - Gluttony Expedition - Milk tea with Okinawa premium black sugar boba: The milk tea was very "milk" - almost too much, and very little tea/tea flavor. Where's the tea?! Bleh. I asked for 40% of sweetness - it wasn't sweet at all. I should have just gotten 100%. The boba is way tooo small - it's like a less than 1/4 the size of normal boba. It's hard to swallow since it comes out tons at a time... The boba seasoned by Okinawa premium black sugar isn't sweet at all. *** Black sugar in Okinawa *** There're tons of cane sugar fields in Okinawa, Japan. It's like the corn fields in Indiana. Okinawa is located the furthest southern part of Japan - very hot and humid area. You can even find a small package of raw canes to suck as a dessert. It's my childhood memory since I used to go there every summer. - Conqueror's Deduction - The drinks were supposed to the BOMB. It wasn't. I don't like too sweet drinks, but I shouldn't have cut it for 40% ;( The ice cream at "Kansha Creamery" was way too sweet and I needed to wash down with a light drink. I wanted a real fresh juice, but those juice bars were closed very early and most boba places around here are chains like "quickly" etc. with less than 4 stars. I prefer to dig something different spots, not chain ones. I tried, but failed. But I might try next time with 100 % sweetness and regular honey boba.. ;) read more

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$4.50 for a LITER OF GOOD MILK TEA + BOBA. SLOOWWW though. This location has changed names / owners a gazillion times. I always study at Tea Station next door but I've never bothered coming here because the past franchises/owners always had really mediocre drinks. I finally decided to get some boba from this new Oko franchise after a bunch of my friends posted pictures on yelp/facebook. They have three cup sizes: Regular (16oz), Large (24oz), and Sumo (32oz). The Sumo cup looked kind of intimidating next to the smaller sizes. It's literally the to go containers that chinese restaurants use for their soup - they just cut an X on the lid for the boba straw. I really didn't want to get it because I just took a final on obesity and type II diabetes.... but I figured I'm never in gardena that often so I should just try it at least once. I got a green milk tea with boba and I wasn't really expecting much. I thought it would be more quantity over quality but that milk tea was actually GOOD and well prepared. They actually made the milk tea on the spot with (2) cocktail shakers (most boba places usually have milk tea pre-made). The green milk tea tasted a lot like Tea Station next door with a strong taste of tea rather than just powder/syrup. The boba was soft and chewy. It was good... and there was a lot of it. It took me pretty much half of the day to finish it. Tea Station finally has some competition next door. While a 16oz milk tea will run you about $4-5 at tea station, you can get a similar tasting 32oz for the same price at Oko. If you can't finish it, save half of it for later! read more

Oko Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Gardena, California

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Tell me why you don't love Oko Cafe and I'll you why we adore this place. First, we think their concept is cool. Sumo is fat, therefore they make fat boba cups with the fat sumo sticker. Not bad of an idea! Digital stamp card! Damn! Such an awesome to be rewarded and saving the environment. Me likey! Drinks can be ordered with preferred sweetness level, which is a plus. My honeydew milk tea was quite delish! Moreover, they serve organic honey boba that I have never heard of, but since it is organic, I assume is healthier? Customer service was friendly and acceptable. Decor is cute, but a little too much. I think I they take off some redundant decorations and stuffs on the wall and clear the walk way, the interior will look so much better than do now. Just cramped and overwhelming upon entrance. read more

Oko Cafe - Honeydew milk tea - Cafes Near Me - Gardena, California

Decided to ad a review. I tried a smoothie, a coffee with sea salt foam(i want the machine that makes that), and a oko house ramen. First the ramen is probably from dried and is plain ramen and broth. So don't be surprised. You Must order every option if you want something substantial. (The ramen here is more for starving college students :) Comes in a big silver bowl on a wooden tray box. I did not investigate any sumo challenge. As in other reviews they still offer a special vacuum coffee. Pictures indicate brought to the table, but they do it at the counter only! Got the regular coffee with sea salt foam +, whoa! I loved the foam haha. It's like diving for fish for two hours or bodysurfing for 45mins! Lol. Coffee was good also but foam won me over!! Smoothie was good, a little icy, shoulda been milkier? Might've ordered wrong? I did see some amazing creations that were impressive. Looked like some kind of sumo size with an ice cream ball above the lid and around the straw! I'm a pretty low pro guy so I didn't bust in and ask the group next to me to do a photo shoot on their Thunda! They also have a Kiosk in front selling takoyaki and another fried fish shaped item which I didn't try. I liked the Music some J-Pop mix +, but as with many places they change to the mood. They had a TV (yes I'm a watcher), with interesting Japanese bites. +. Crowd seemed like young college, hangout for a little while, or to go. I believe Tea station and another desert place further down the walkway end called Phoenix? Next time I will hit all three! read more

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"Let's get Sumo!" That's what my family, friends and I have been calling this place. It's just easier to say. (Sorry, no one understands me when I said Oko) Despite coming here so often, there are only three drinks that I usually get: Lychee Green Tea 125% sweet - it's not the best LGT that I've had thus far but it's still very refreshing! Green Milk Tea - this is the classic boba drink that I absolutely love, but Oko got it all wrong. It's way too milky but sometimes I order it anyway either because I forgot I didn't like it or I was hoping it'd improved. My mom enjoyed it though. Black Milk Tea - it's sort of weird for me to like BMT more than GMT but if it's good, then it's good. My biggest complaint about Oko is their menu. The big poster is placed by the cashier, so there's only two chances to see it: 1) you've moved up the line and gets to stand in front of it and 2) you're crowding around it with everyone else. Or you can just wait until it's your turn to order and stare at the mini menu in front of the register. And it's not that fun bending down to read the bottom of the menu either (yes, I want to see my options!). This irritates me every time because they have 4 wall panels with posters of advertisements! I understand that Oko is still expanding their menu, but it's still annoying. For those who complains about the wait-time, I can empathize. But if you think about it, their drinks are NOT pre-made and they're making 1 liters of goodness for ya'll. Come during downtime and the drinks will come out super speedy. So what do I love about this place? Lots! I love their soft & chewy boba. I love how they offer so many flavored add-ons. My new favorite is the rose boba but too bad the rose flavor isn't retained when their sitting in my drinks. I love the friendly staff. Keep smiling! And I love their sumo size drink. I ALWAYS order the 1-liter here, even when I know I can't finish it! It's such good business for them. It's a great deal too, especially when you think about paying the same amount for regular cup at Tea Station. Please give us stamp cards! read more

Oko Cafe - Ramen challenge! - Cafes Near Me - Gardena, California

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Came here last night to meet up with some friends that were already here. First thing the place is small and loud so holding a convo would be shouting at one another unless you are sitting right next to the person.Looks like you have some good choices of boba smoothies. Maybe i'll be back one day to actually try something. read more

Decent boba, entertaining sumo videos, loud J pop music. I've always encountered a long waiting time even if there's a few people there. If I'm in the area I'll swing by here but the drinks here are pretty much average. Only reason I go here is because I use card often and Tea Station next door requires a minimum. I do like the fact that they have a digital stamp card (use your phone number) cause carrying all my stamp cards is such a hassle. They should consider staying open later. I still see a decent amount of people coming by here read more

Another boba shop located right next to Tea Station and Phoenix Desserts is located not too far from here also. When I first walked in, I thought it was 'cute' how they have 'sumo wrestlers' as their main theme and all but now, it kind of grosses me out seeing them on a big TV screen. Their boba drink is not that amazing. I dont know. I would not want to order a sumo size either. It's way too much boba and drink. I love boba but nuh-uh. Their drinks are mediocre at best and I rather go a little further and get my boba fix at Yami Teahouse. Oh and they take FOREVER to make your drinks. WHY? Ive been here about 5 times max and all I remember is waiting for the drink for so long. I wouldnt recommend this place though many people still come here. I recently passed by here and I was like 'huh?!' 'WTH!!' at this one phrase on their main store sign. It said 'Hangout with Style' I was like what?! Is Hangout someone we dont know? Haha, I thought it was ridiculous. Slow service, whatever drinks and weird decor results in me not coming back here. read more

This boba shop is different from the other ones I have been to. But it doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing. Maybe my first experience just wasn't the right one. I got the passion fruit green milk tea. It was a terrible flavor combination. (they offer hundreds of flavor combinations and options, mix and match 3 different ones into any of their teas) The employee taking my order was easy to work with but didn't give recommendations when asked. I would give this another try because my friends drink tasted really good. read more

Oko Cafe - Passion fruit green milk tea - not good. - Cafes Near Me - Gardena, California

Wow... This place is ridiculous... Let's start off with the setting of this food place. It's really small inside and really messy. I think their shipment of goods arrived that day and the boxes are everywhere.. SUCKS! Now let's talk about their service. HORRIBLE. My friend and I went there at 9pm and they do not close at 12 midnight. We ordered for takoyaki and popcorn chicken and the cashier said "umm... I'm sorry Takoyaki will take long to make..." I wanted to reply back "ummm I legit have 3 hrs left before you close...I'm sure it won't take that long" but as a good customer I just shrugged it off and just ordered the popcorn chicken. I ordered around 9:15 and did not get my order till 9:40. Now their actual product. I ordered a large popcorn chicken and it costed me $6.49. Their large only had like 10 popcorn chicken in it. RIP OFF. And that lemon pepper flavor... More like lemon and vinegar combined.. Too salty and sour, it's like I was eating sour gummy worms.. Oh yeah! I also asked for a sweet and sour sauce for the popcorn chicken to eliminate the saltiness of the food, but they asked for 50 cents extra for that... Umm... That's basically like McDonald's asking me 50 cents for a ketchup.. So stupid. I provided a picture of my receipt and the quantity of their popcorn chicken to show you guys. Beware, you guys have been warned! read more

Oko Cafe - Here's their large popcorn chicken and my receipt.. $6.49. Legit there's only about 8 pieces in there. HORRIBLE! - Cafes Near Me - Gardena, California

So I decided to give Oko cafe business instead of Tea station since I like to support the "mom and pop" places. Sometimes kindness will screw you over. Anyway, I ordered a hot coffee milk boba with "25%" sugar. I took a sip of the drink and it was so sweet and nasty it tasted like diabetes in a cup. I asked the cashier girl to just give me something less sweet and she asked if I wanted a different drink. I said just give me green tea no sugar instead since I had little hope they would get my coffee milk right. The older woman behind the counter gave me dirty looks and after some time, I was told they cannot give me a new drink but they can add tea to make the drink less sweet. This time, it came out less sweet but so watered down it made me want to vomit. By the end of it I was dehydrated from the sugar, nauseous from the watered down coffee/tea, annoyed from the woman giving me ugly faces, and dizzy from the horrible music. Oko, is not worth the calories or the buck. read more

Recently discovered this boba place and I keep going back! Their boba is cooked to the right consistency and the drinks have good, quality flavors. They also do a really good job on keeping 6 feet between the interactions of customers and employees. read more

I don't usually visit during the day, I mostly come at night. The music is pretty loud, the black light is on, and the line to order gets quite long. People smoke outside the cafe, and plenty of them are hot boxing in their cars. Doesn't exactly sound too great, but Oko is one of the best for boba in the area. Not a lot of tables inside, which can be a problem. Actually, the place is pretty small, with zero standing room to wait for your order. The atmosphere is quite lively though. Feels like a nightclub. There's lots of options, but I'm only here for the boba. Drinks are very sweet, and the boba is chewy. It's a tad more expensive than Honey Boba, about an 80 cent difference for a regular size. The drinks are worth the wait, and I'm thinking about trying the food items as well. read more

Oko Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Gardena, California

We had their taro milk tea and taro smoothie both with boba. Decent portions for a regular cup and the prices were reasonable too. The taro flavors were good and the boba was soft and chewy, just the way we like them! We didn't go there for food but their menu looks pretty authentic for Japanese street food! They have two trays for takoyaki!! The location is great since it's in a big plaza full of Asian restaurants. There's an Japanese Italian next door and a traditional, authentic Chinese seafood restaurant across the Parking Lot. Good stop for boba drinks! read more

After lunch at the other Marukai with my gramma and aunties, J and I wanted something sweet and headed to Tea Station. As we're walking up we see Oko cafe and decide to check it out instead. Atmosphere inside is fun, their theme here is Sumo wrestlers, so there's a TV showing funny sumo stuff and a life sized sumo you can take pics with. The walls are decorated with drawings and names of folks who won their sumo-sized food challenges. We just had lunch so I just had an iced rose green tea w Okinawa boba and J had a mango smoothie. Okinawa boba were nice and chewy and sweet. They are also smaller than regular boba. The mango smoothie was topped with pieces of mango which was a nice touch. Drinks do seem to take longer to prepare here for some reason. I'd go again if I were in the area. read more

I've been a longtime fan of Oko ever since it first opened, but I went back here recently after a few months away, and I was seriously disappointed. For some reason, the line to order is always moving SO slowly. I just don't understand. My friend and I ordered our milk teas with boba, and I asked if they still had the potato spiral on the stick. The girl said yes, so I got one of those, because who doesn't like deep fried potato? Fast forward 10 minutes, and my friend's milk tea comes out without boba and the potato twist comes out in the form of potato chips in a takeout box. Wtf is this? So I ask, and the girl, after asking another worker, informs me that they in fact do NOT have the potato spiral anymore. Uh ok, would have been cool if she knew that and clarified it better when I first ordered. The potato crisps were flavorless deep fried pieces of nothing. That's pretty much how I would describe it. They had zero flavor. My almond milk tea also tasted weird, almost like it was old. I took a few sips and tossed it. Our general experience that night pissed me off frankly, and I don't think I'll be coming back. Yami and honeyboba will be getting all my business. read more

Oko Cafe - Flavorless potato "crisps" aka the twist apparently. - Cafes Near Me - Gardena, California

Matcha late egg pudding 5 stars its really good and the place looks really artistic from the inside alot of creativity

The best boba , a few of my favorite *mango *blueberry and the Sakura cherry green milk tea. The girls there are always so nice and welcoming! read more

Ugh, I know this place is trying to be super cool and trendy but they're seriously messing up on basics. The wait has become a huge pain. Be ready to wait at least 5 minutes if there are 2 people in line in front of you, because the register will be abandoned to make the drink. Seriously understaffed. Any drink takes at least 10 minutes to make, even if it is just a milk tea. They moved 1/2 of the seating inside to make room for boxes and cardboard cutouts. Lame. Also, the outdoor seating turned into backless uncomfortable benches that are sub ikea quality. They blast music really loudly in this place as well. Definitely not a place to hang out long term anymore, just get your drink and get out. This is coming from someone who has been coming here for over 10 years, through ALL of the ownership/name changes. read more

I usually come here for my boba fix. I know that they have other food items here, but I have never tried it. The reason why I love this place is that their boba tastes fresh. It has the right amount of softness and hardness that makes it so good!! I have tried both the milk tea and the green tea boba here. I love the milk tea here. However, even though I am in denial, as I get older, I think I am becoming lactose intolerant. Sigh!! So, the next time I tried the green tea boba. Although it is not as good, it was still pretty tasty to me. I know that there are other boba items that you can get. I have tried the lychee and it is good but I usually stick with the classic boba. I also usually get 75% sweet because I think 100% sweet might be too sweet. The inside is smaller so there are not of places to sit but I usually take mine to go. read more

Oko Cafe - Oko Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Gardena, California

This place is kind of overwhelming when you first walk in...lots going on with the music and decor. Their menu is large with not only drink options but food as well. Haven't tried the food but they have a wall of ramen options along with burgers and Japanese sweets like taiyaki. Very random. The drinks weren't spectacular...I would probably go with tea station next door if I had to choose but they do have two different options for boba at oko - honey boba and okinawan black sugar. I tried the Okinawan boba and I was surprised at how tiny they were...like half the size of regular boba. They were still pretty good though. Overall I think this is a good option and depending on what you're in the mood for you have two boba places right next to each other to choose from. read more

Oko Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Gardena, California

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I remember I used to love this place years ago. The novelty of the sumo sized drinks was great back then, but now I feel like it's overkill. The sumo drinks always used to come with a moffle too, but they have long gotten rid of those. I came today and got a strawberry green tea, and the regular size with boba was $4. This is reasonably priced, but when I got my drink I was so disappointed. It looked and tasted so artificial, and resembled fruit punch. The boba was okay -- it was chewy and they gave me a decent amount. However, the drink itself was no bueno. On the plus side, I feel like usually the drinks take forever to come out here, but today the girl was on top of it. I think I sat down for 2 minutes before she called my drink! read more

Oko Cafe - Strawberry tea tastes like fruit punch LOL - Cafes Near Me - Gardena, California

This is a random Asian tea house that is trying to attract customers with their theme of sumo. I am giving 1 star for a couple reason. One reason is because my drink (Thai tea with boba) had no taste and the boba was too sweet (beware diabetics). Another reason is as follows. My analysis is this. "Sumo size me." While cute, this phrase obviously is a play off "Supersize me." This is an epitomizing phrase of poor food choice in obese America. It's the phrase that allows America's youth to develop early-onset diabetes and hypertension. It's the phrase that is allowing young girls to start their menses earlier (due to increased adipose tissue/estrogen surges). It's the phrase that perpetuates high sodium, fat, caloric intake ultimately leading to increasing medical care costs and increasing profit for Big & Tall stores. With that sad, this "sumo size me" disgusts me and it's their business model that is sacrificing America's health just so their pockets can grow. If this doesn't make you sick, then their product will (tasteless and hyper-sweet). The general public probably doesn't think of this joint like I am right now. I came with a friend and we both spotted some obese Asian family with an obese Asian baby who resembled all the cardboard sumo place-your-head-and-hands-in-this-hole-and-take-a-picture things. We laughed, but who gets the last laugh? The insurance companies that take our hard-earned cash for their metformin, glipizide, etc. So you want to get your drink sumo sized? Shame on you. Eat some fruits and vegetables and start exercising at least 30 minutes a day most days of the week. read more

Lowdown: Boba place located just to the left of Tea Station. I love Tea Station and all but I definitely try to look for alternatives with lower prices. Found this little place while in the Gardena area and it's alright. The quality is great but when it comes to the service...definitely have your phone or someone with you to keep you company while you wait. I really like the fact they give you the option of changing the sweetness of your beverages (100% is standard) and you can get those cute sumo cup sizes...but that's pretty much it. Drinks: MATCHA GREEN TEA SMOOTHIE- definitely one of the better matcha smoothies I've had. Clean. Refreshing. Goes beautifully with boba. TARO SMOOTHIE - Not too sweet and well-blended MILK TEA - Really good but only if it's 50%. I don't like my milk tea too sweet. You can definitely taste the black tea here. THAI TEA - Get it 75%. It's really good! Service/Vibe: This wait is RIDICULOUS. Even if it's just me and a couple other people waiting for their orders...at LEAST 20 minutes. There is no sense of urgency at all. Sometimes I just see 1 worker doing everything. But helllll naw I will NOT wait 20-30 minutes to get a milk tea and thai tea with boba. I'm sorry. No wonder I see a bigger crowd at Tea Station next door. I don't think I'll ever come here again because of the wait. Parking: It's a plaza so there's plenty of room. They're just really tight spaces. Tips/Notes: - Input your cell number to get a star on your virtual card every time you visit. I think you get a free drink after the 10th one. read more

Oko Cafe - Large matcha smoothie with boba. - Cafes Near Me - Gardena, California

In a sea of boba places in socal it's hard to stand out. But Oko Cafe is doing a good job at giving itself a spot in the market. Definitely trendy and hip. I would describe it as looking like a really nice looking basement or garage just because it is a little grungy. They're always playing some nice tunes. I was amaze by the sumo size cups because I thought it was the biggest cup of boba ever but it's basically the same as the large cups at honey boba or half and half but with a fun name. They advertise it as 1000 mL which is the same as about 32 ounces. Good marketing skills! The decorations are fun and the chronicles the adventures of people trying to do the ramen challenge. The drinks here are pretty basic nothing fancy or special. None of the frills. Their honeyboba is definitely up to par and is comparable to any other good honeyboba spot. Also setting this place apart from other boba places is that they offer quite a lot of japanese type snacks. There's a lot. Good prices and parking is easy. It's in a huge lot right next to Tea Station. Only complaint is service is kind of slow. This place really has a fun unique environment and is different from most boba places that I've been to. Definitely a good thing and good place to change it up. I love there little sumo mascot man. read more

Oko Cafe - Sumo size me captain - Cafes Near Me - Gardena, California

I really wanted to like this place based on what I heard from friends and based on the pictures that I have seen on their Yelp page. It's no longer sumo themed like pictures suggest. Its more of a night club-esque theme with blue/purple lights. Except when we went on a Friday evening at 5 PM it was pretty much silent and dead inside. Looking over the menu, we were intrigued by the purple potato/Hokkaido/Sakura flavored menu items, along with the black squid ink burgers and different forms of taiyaki. Unfortunately, no food until 7PM and it wasn't worth waiting 2 extra hours for that. Why keep your establishment open when you can't serve anything?? read more

This is probably the most artistic cafe in Town. This is almost similar to the famous 3D cafe in Seoul Korea that we were planning to visit in the future. Heck with it, why bother to go there when a replica is just a few minutes away? I love Oko's overall upgrade. They definitely know how to step-up this boba and cafe gaming. Everything looks awesome! Will definitely come back here read more

Oko Cafe - Ice milk - Caramel with Bobba and Coffee pudding - Cafes Near Me - Gardena, California

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BEST THAI TEA EVER!!!!! It's the perfect amount of sweetness and boba is the perfect texture. Plus, they add adorable foam pics to the tea. What's not to love?? read more

This place is definitely gimmicky. In fact, the quirkiness of the sumo theme and the extensive instant ramen menu is perhaps more memorable than the actual drinks that we ordered. I ordered a matcha milk tea (with 50% sugar) with honey boba. I thought the boba was really delicious. Perfectly chewy. I initially though the drink was pretty good, lots of yummy matcha flavor. However, as I kept drinking it.....the flavor seemed to get weird. Very chemical-y tasting. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more with more sugar. I also took a sesame milk tea to go with the black sugar boba. Really didn't care for this drink at all The best thing about his place was the moffle. A yummy piece of mochi pressed on a waffle iron and topped with some dried pork. REALLY TASTY. Sounds weird, but it's super delish. The stamp card system they have is really neat. I love not having to carry a stamp card around. It's convenient and eco friendly! They take their time preparing everything here. The service here is very friendly, but be ready to wait for your drinks! read more

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Best tasting Milk Icee caramel drink i've had thus far!! (refer to photo) I love the ice cream on top, the drink stays nice and icy...unlike Meow Meow in West Covina, it does not get watered down within minutes! and way better than Honey Boba! Great flavor! Friendly staff, deducted a star because it took like 15 minutes to get my drink! and there was only 2 people ahead of me. They no longer service the mochi waffle as portrayed in the photos! :( I wanted to try that! Overall, I'll be revisiting!! read more

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This is a place to go to for the sake of just going. Their fun whimsical doodle like decor is fun place to take selfies. Although The bring white was a bit hard on the eyes when I wanted to do some work on the laptop,they fun playful environment was a joy to hang out in. I would say the next downside is a lack of cooked food snacks, but you can get that next door. I love how percentage of proceeds go towards rescue dogs. You can tell the owner is very passionate about dogs. read more

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Juicy charcoal burgers at Oko I tried 3 different charcoal burgers at the 626 night market from Oko and its a great unique concept. The bread tastes different and it has great health benefit. It's a great idea to make the charcoal burgers, definitely caught my attention. I like all the sauces they had for the burgers. I definitely would recommend this burger if you are looking for a fusion taste. Service was good and they put a lot of effort in each burger. read more

Oko Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Gardena, California